Under the Light of the Moon
by thatguy8801
Summary: The moon always such a beautiful thing.


Writing piece for the Shield Hero series that includes the relationship of Naofumi and Raphtalia

Naofumi reflects on adventuresas he crafts bracelet under night sky. She gets up and talks with him

These solemn nights are often the most comforting.

The night sky is one of the rare things that can calm him. It truly is a spectacle to behold. The vast display of all the sparkling stars; the endless array of little jewels that seemed to twinkle at intermittent points. Even with the glow of the campfire obstructing some of the display, the awe-inspiring collection of stars dominated the view. A cloudless sky, the full picturesque night sky in full view for all who were out to admire. The trees from the side of the road formed irregular shapes against the sky, jagged and sharp spires piercing the faint glow. The most dominating feature shown bright this night; the pale white disk that was the moon illuminated the area untouched by the dancing light from the flames. It was most certainly beautiful and something he could most certainly acknowledge.

Naofumi sighed and set his gaze back down to the project at hand. He carefully inspected the band of gold he held in his hand, checking it for any signs of wear.

Naofumi's life has, up until this point, been a most complex one. His initial shock and arrival upon a strange new world had been a marvel. A strange new place beheld him, it was almost straight out of a fantasy game based on the medieval area and the knights of old. He was a hero it seemed; one destined to fight these 'waves' with just a shield. Everything structured as if it were some kind of RPG. Off put at first, he accepted his role, despite the odd sentimentalities from the rest of the court. And then hell occurred. Framed for a crime he didn't commit; he was cast off to fend for himself and do things almost independent from the crown. And fend he did. He built up his level, managed to make income (albeit in a legally grey way he did not care for), and found himself a party.

Naofumi was pretty proud of where he stood. Starting from nothing, he worked his way up to a respected merchant and a pretty damn good fighter. Spite and hatred are powerful motivators. Of course, he did not do this all alone.

Naofumi paused and looked up across the campfire at the mass of feathers positioned next to their carriage. Filo was sound asleep, her deep and rhythmic breathing as well as an occasional twitch signified she was in a deep sleep. She was loyal, fiercely so. Although incredibly young and a bit naïve at times, she has become one of his most powerful fighters, and has certainly got them out of a number of risky situations.

Naofumi sighed once more, gaze wandering up to the sky again, lost in reflection.

A noise from his right brought him out of his reprieve, focus returning once again. He quickly hid the gold band within the confines of his cloak and tried to return to a more natural state.

"Naofumi-sama, "a gentle voice called out to him. "It's getting pretty late; shouldn't you get some sleep?"

He only responded with a deep sigh, which in turn provoked a soft 'humph' and more rustling. Naofumi heard the rustling stop, and then a presence sit itself next to him, fairly close he noted, on the log he sat upon.

"Raphtalia, I'm fine. Don't worry about anything," he said, a trace of softness in his normally reserved voice.

Raphtalia shook her head. She could clearly see something was bothering him, he had not been sleeping (he slept little anyway) as much as he normally did. It pained her to see him in such a state. She knew about his arrival, about what he had gone through. Welcomed to a new place and given such an important task, only to have all hospitality ripped out and now viewed as a villain by a large majority of the land. His reservist and cold personality was the result of the betrayal he had to experience. And while they both agreed to share that burden, it was still a rare occurrence that he would do so. And She understood his role as a hero, the role he plays within the group of four heroes. He was a defender; protection was his priority. She was, and is, still very grateful for his promise of constant protection. He gives his all in fights and has practically guaranteed protection for both her and Filo. However, he had a tendency to take his role a bit too far. He so very often put himself in the line of danger, put himself out for others, that he did neglect his own well-being. Physically, he was fine for the most part and in top condition (which she so desperately wished to confirm). From an emotional standpoint…. they're still working on that.

She was going to assert her stance. "You should be getting sleep Naofumi-sama, you know it will help you. At the very least, I'm going to stay up with you until you go to sleep."

Naofumi turned to protest but he saw the determined look on her face and gave up. "Fine," he said, turning back to gaze at the flames. "But don't strain yourself."

A small smile lit up Raphtalia's face and the tip of her tail swished in triumph at his concession. She inched closer to him until only a sliver of space was between them. Her tail began to wag eagerly.

Naofumi took noticed and only let out an amused snort, prompting Raphtalia to give him a quizzical look. "What is it, Naofumi-sama?"

"Ah, it's nothing." He grew silent as well as she. The sounds of the nocturnal wildlife along with the crackle of the fire echoed in their clearing, and the swishing of a certain demi-human's tail was prevalent. It was a peaceful silence, a relaxing and comforting atmosphere both Naofumi and Raphtalia were grateful to have. The presence of one granting a certain kind of calming effect for the other.

Naofumi looked up once again at the jewel encrusted night sky. He took in all the sights of the stars, the glittering light of the moon, and all of the work of art that was the night sky. He found himself sighing again, although in a more content manner. The action grabbed Raphtalia's attention.

"Naofumi-sama, is something wrong? You are sighing a lot tonight." Yes, she was aware of all he's done tonight. Each non-verbal act conveying more information than he would ever care to admit. It couldn't hurt either that her ears were quite adept at picking up sounds, and Naofumi's were no exception. She could practically distinguish the difference between a sigh of content, disgust, and so forth and for many different things.

Plus, the occasional peeks at him helped her make the distinction.

Naofumi sat up straight, eyes not leaving the sky. "Nothing, I guess. Just thinking about all this," he gave a vague wave at the scenery in front of him.

_Oh!_ Raphtalia thought, _he's going to open up!_ She turned her head to get a better look at him, her smile widening a fraction to encourage him on.

Naofumi paused. He wasn't quite sure how to go about expression. It had been quite a while since he had last done so; he was much better at bottling it all up. He knew it was important to do so, otherwise madness would consume him. He was pretty much at that point, however he never quite tipped over. He was grateful for the two that kept him sane.

He still couldn't find the right words and began to get frustrated. Before he could continue, Raphtalia spoke up beside him.

"Naofumi-sama, I know you are probably having a tough time trying to say what you are trying to say, but please don't fret." She flashed him a bright smile, one he was captivated by. One he realized he had been ignorant of for far too long.

Raphtalia was beautiful. There was no question about it. He actively knew it. However, this simple and relaxing moment. He truly realized what he had been ignoring until now. The first thing Naofumi noticed were her eyes. He gazed with a look of pure adoration, capturing every detail he could. Her pale red eyes, almost a raspberry color, looked back into his; matching his adoring gaze with a message of her own. Her smile carried equal weight. One full of such pure love, he could feel his heart clench with endearment. Her long chestnut her glittered in the fire light, framing her visage so perfectly that he could only wonder how stupid he was.

Naofumi was so enraptured that he nearly missed her speak, a sound so sweet and soft to the ear. His eyes flicked back to hers, staring back at him with an expression so soft and kind that made his heart beat. He could see her face had reddened in the firelight.

"Naofumi-sama, I told you before, but I'll say it again. I am your sword and intend to be for as long as I can. I will stay with you for as long as I can and will follow you everywhere you go. No matter what you may think, I won't leave. You have been so kind and treated me so well, I can't thank you enough for what you've done." She carefully slipped a shaky hand on top of his that rested on his knee. Her face appeared to get redder. He could hear her tail wag faster. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, nervous at what she was to say. "N-naofumi-sama, if you would have me, I-I would like to be by your side for as long as I can." She had an expression mixed between nervousness and determination. He could, for once, see her heartfelt intent.

"Raphtalia…"

She abruptly took her hand off his and gave a shaky laugh. She held it up in a little wave of 'don't worry'. "Ah, s-sorry! I said too much! Please understand that you are a good person and that I-we will be here for you! I-we are very grate-"

"Raphtalia." Naofumi turned toward her and took her hand in one and pat her head with his other. He smiled as she immediately went silent. A look of worry staring at him until his hand met the top of her head. She closed her eyes in response. "I would be honored."

Her eyes shot open. "Eh? Really? N-Naofumi-sama, I don't know-"

"Yes, I would be." He dropped the hand on her head to slide along her tail. She hummed in response and leaned against him. "Let's try to survive this and then."

He could feel her nod against him, humming with each stroke of her tail. He looked up at the sky once more.

The moon had moved closer to the tree line. The spectacle of the night still sky still as magnificent as earlier. Not a single star had disappeared from the sky.

The night sky always did calm him. It did wonders, and really made one think how there could be so much beauty in the world. A brilliant spectacle that formed all on its own. Naofumi always found himself lost in the wonders that was the stars and constellations before he went to sleep.

This time, however, he was lost in another beauty; one that far surpassed the night sky. He reached into his cloak and found the gold band. A smile, one genuine and so rare, found itself on his face.


End file.
